Government plans to ban trail-hunting will ‘cause even more suffering’ say experts

A call for the Government to appoint an independent body to review existing legislation and determine whether the Hunting Act should be amended, repealed or retained has been made in a new political briefing paper.

The 2025 paper, “Broken Countryside”, is by environmental writer Charlie Pye-Smith and animal welfare consultant Jim Barrington.

It is a summary of the “Rural Wrongs” project, in which the authors set out to investigate how the 2004 Hunting Act has affected formerly hunted species. The pair spoke to those involved in countryside management across Britain and Ireland, and consulted scientists studying fox, deer and hare populations. Those findings were published in 2023 in the book, Rural Wrongs: Hunting and the Unintended Consequences of Bad Law, which was reprinted in 2025 – coinciding with the publication of the briefing paper.

The paper states that the authors’ aim is to “inform legislators and others about how the 2004 Hunting Act has made life worse for both animals and people and to stimulate debate”.

“We now have clear evidence that the 2004 legislation has caused extensive animal suffering. The Labour Government has recently pledged to introduce legislation to ban trail-hunting without considering whether this could cause even more suffering. There is absolutely no doubt that a ban would have a negative impact on the rural economy and local communities,” it states.

“The purpose [of this briefing paper] is to encourage politicians to think carefully before compounding the misery caused by the 2004 Act by introducing even more restrictive legislation.”

When H&H contacted Defra for comment on the call for an independent body to review legislation, among other parts of the paper, a Defra spokesperson said that this government will ban trail-hunting, as set out in its manifesto.

Mr Barrington told H&H the paper summarises the project’s findings and describes “the detrimental impact of the Hunting Act on wild animal welfare”.

“It then addresses how a ban on trail-hunting would have a devastating impact on the rural economy and countryside communities. Indeed, we believe a trail-hunting ban would have a greater impact on rural life than the Hunting Act itself,” he said.

“The document also suggests a range of possible steps that might be taken in the future to properly address the issues of cruelty and the use of hounds in wildlife management – something anti-hunting groups are always reluctant to engage in or explore.”

The briefing paper highlights what a trail-hunting ban would mean for animals, rural communities and rural trades.

“Broken Countryside shows that such a measure would be a disaster for tens of thousands of people and for domestic animal welfare,” stated a press release accompanying the briefing paper. “The bans would make some 10,000 hounds redundant. Most would have to be put down. Thousands of hunting horses would also be surplus to requirements.”

A British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) spokesperson told H&H it “fully supports” the call for an independent review, but this “must go beyond the Hunting Act 2004 to include all wildlife legislation under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981”.

“Laws shaped by ideology rather than evidence have created a fragmented and inconsistent framework that too often fails to protect animal welfare and undermines responsible wildlife management,” said the BHSA spokesperson.

“Poorly conceived legislation has led to less humane wildlife control, ineffective conservation practices and increasing challenges for those managing the countryside.”

The spokesperson added that instead of reviewing individual laws in isolation, a comprehensive, science-led review by the Law Commission is needed to “ensure that animal welfare remains the priority while supporting coherent, practical and effective wildlife legislation”.

“The BHSA will continue to lead the fight against restrictions that fail both animals and rural communities,” he said.

“We urge the Government to take this call seriously and commit to an independent, evidence-based review that genuinely benefits animal welfare, conservation and countryside management.”

• Read the full briefing paper

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